A24 has accepted a $75 million investment from Google DeepMind, and not everyone in its fanbase is happy about it.
Google DeepMind put $75 million into A24, the studio behind a string of critically regarded films that built a loyal following partly on its reputation for creative independence. The deal is part of a broader pattern: AI labs and their parent companies have been moving money into entertainment, looking for content, distribution leverage, or both. A24 has not detailed what the investment covers or what, if anything, Google gets beyond a financial stake.
The backlash, such as it is, reflects a tension that goes beyond one studio deal. A24's brand is built on the idea that it greenlights things the majors won't touch — which makes a nine-figure check from one of the world's largest AI operations feel, to at least some fans, like a contradiction. Whether that sentiment is widespread or confined to a vocal slice of the audience remains unclear from what has been reported.
Studios have absorbed outside money before — from hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, and private equity — and kept making the same kinds of films. The open question is whether an AI lab's money comes with different strings, or whether it's just capital looking for a return like any other.